What Are the Advantages and Disadvantages of Canoe Sterns or Double-Enders ?

[Blue Stocking]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

Aside from SaltMonkey's answer (which is correct in its way):

- go to a boatyard find a doubleender (say a Valiant), go under the boat and look,
- repeat same with any adjacent hull (e.g. a Contessa 32, S&S 34, etc).

As you will find, their underbodies are the same. As long as they are the same, the boats will behave alike in the water.

Nearly all pre planning era boats are 'doubleenders' except not all of them have pointed stern.

I have sailed some doubleenders and many 'normal' boats and never noticed any difference in how they behave. The only boat that does sail differently is a planning hull. But that's another story altogether and part of this thread.

barnie

Barnie,

My question was framed as a provocative, tongue-in-cheek responce to the eternal disagreements about hull shape above the waterline (pointed or square?), hence the chosen smilie.
I have been on the building crew of Paul Johnson's (I know him personally)
Venus 28,32,42, and a custom 56 Airex cored hulls, all Colin Archer types.
Also built some with transoms.
So I have my opinion FWIW.
If the front end shape goes thru the water best, why shouldn't the back deal with on-coming water (following seas), the same way.

I won't lose any sleep over this but I do enjoy the opinions of much respected sailors, like yourself.

[barnakiel]

Cheers!

I might be wrong. That's why I still have that ole doubleender of mine ;-)))

barnie

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by Blue Stocking

If the front end shape goes thru the water best, why shouldn't the back deal with on-coming water (following seas), the same way.

Yup. I made a shy comment at this fact in my early post in this thread.

On my boat, the following seas do not need to be parted - the stern lifts and the wave passes underneath (most of it in any case). And when the seas are so that they do have to be parted, then I would think other factors contribute to my comfort and safety much more than the shape of the stern.

*Note that you will also want super duper kevlar-lithium washboards and a Musto NASA-McGyver suit if you do decide to go stern-to thru any extended storm.

I think this type of discussions is always full of traps and also because the doubleender is often mixed up with the long keeler, while in fact we know that there are doubleended fin keelers as well as long keel flat transomers.

If I can say anything mean about doubleenders then it is that the deep V, long keel doubleender (like many Colin Archer clones, e.g. the Kendall or the Tahiti) will roll your guts out of ... (censored).

So, to me, the a.m. type of doubleender is the worst type of hull for the Coconut Milk Run. Somehow, the modified doubleender (like e.g. Valiant) will roll much less. A small modification that will make any cruiser a happier man.

barnie